Curly Bill Brocius remains one of the most mysterious
characters from Tombstone's past. Without a doubt, he was considered the
most famous outlaw in the region during the turbulent years of Tombstone.
Yet, little information regarding his life has ever been written or published.
To this day there is no known authentic photographs of Curly Bill.

He gained instant notoriety in Tombstone and Arizona,
following the killing of Tombstone's first Town Marshal, Fred White. The
publicity of this incident, when combined with later newspaper coverage
about his activities in Arizona, created his image as a notorious cowboy
figure. Ironically, before the White killing it appears that he was far
from well known in Tombstone.

Possible Origins

When Curly Bill was arrested by
Wyatt Earp following the shooting of Fred White, he gave his name as William
Brocius. He stated that he was from the San Simon area. For nearly 50 years
following his shooting of White, Curly Bill's last name was referred to
as "Brocius". By 1931, Melvin Jones, an Arizona oldtimer, was
claiming that Curly Bill's real name was Graham not Brocius. Since 1931 Brocius and Graham have been used in different combinations.

While in Arizona, Curly Bill was
rumored to have been from Texas. He was also believed to have been involved
in some way with the men who had participated in the Lincoln County War
in New Mexico. Following his arrest for shooting White, Wyatt Earp claimed
that Brocius had told him that he was an escaped felon from El Paso.

Over the years claims have been
concerning Curly Bill's origins. None have been confirmed as of yet. A
man named Glenn Mears once wrote to Tombstone historian Ben Traywick, telling
him that Curly Bill's real name was really Brocius, and that he had lived
in Crawfordville, Indiana. According to this claim, Brocius was a poor
dirt farmer that was married and had several kids. He joined the Union
army to fight in the Civil War, when another man who had been drafted paid
him money to take his place. According to the Mears claim, Brocius abondoned
his wife following the Civil War, not returning to Crawfordsville for several
years after the war was over. Upon his return he found that his wife had
remarried. He left the town an angry man and was never heard from again.

Was this Curly Bill?

Was this man really Curly Bill?
At this point it is impossible to be sure. According to Mears, this man
had left Indiana and was never heard from again. Was he sure that this
was the same man as Curly Bill Brocius of Arizona. Or, did he just think
it was the same man based on the fact that both men were named William
Brocius? Provably, there were several men during this period that used
the name William Brocius. Therefore, without further proof that this was
the same man, Mears' claim should remain simply a possibility for now.
This is especially the case because the conviction that Wyatt Earp had
referred to in El Paso, Texas, has finally been found. Interestingly, the
nickname Curly Bill was used in newspaper articles and court documents
that referred to the incident that had occured. However, Curly Bill's last
name was not listed as Brocius.